Rail-anchor



L. J. BERKELEY.

RAIL ANCHOR.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT 14. 1920.

Patented May 24, 1921.

V: T y

I Application filed September 14, 1920. Serial No. 410,287.

UNITED STATES LAURENCE J. BERKELEY, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, essrelvonrornn r. em.

COMPANY, or cn rcaeo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

nan.-ancrroa.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAURENCE J. BERKE- LEY a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, inthe county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Anchors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for resisting the longitudinal creeping movement of railroad rails, such devices being generallyknown as rail anchors, anti-creepers, or rail stays. I

he primary object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character which when applied toits operative position will take a firm shackle hold on the base fiange'of a rail, preferably on the upper and lower surfaces of the base flange, and maintain such hold .by a combined spring action, and wedging engagement of the parts of the anchor device, and increase its grip on the rail-base when the rail moves longitudinally.

The invention contemplates as a further and more specific object to provide an improved rail anchor consisting of two parts which are so connected together that they, in efiect, constitute a onepiece rail anchor that may be readily applied to rail bases of different widths.

The invention consists in the novel arma out the above stated objects, and 'such other incidental objects as will appear from the following. description of the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is an end view, partly in section,

of a rail. anchor constructed in accordance rangements and constructions of parts hereter described and claimed for carrying Patented drawing.

PATENT OFFICE.

The. invention in its" preferred embodi- I mentcontemplates an anchor device adapted to grip one ,edge of the base flange of a rail wltha firm .shackle'hold, and to maintain said grip by means of a lockin member whichhook's over the opposite e ge of'the' rail base. I

In the drawing the device is shown as conlisting "of'anlinverted U-shaped shoe member 10, of spring metal, the legs 11, .12 of which? are PI'OVlClGCl with notches 13, 14, which fit over one edge of the base flange of the rail 15 at different points. The leg 12 of the shoe extends below the rail base to provide a foot 16 which bears against one of the vertical faces of a cross-tie 17. The

edges 18, 19 and'20, 21 of the notches 13, 14

are forced into a firm shackle, biting en gagement with the upper and lower surfaces of the rail base by spreading the extremities of the shoe member from the position shown in Fig. 1, to the rail gripping position shown in Fig. 2. In order to insure the proper flexingof the shoe member, the top portion of the shoe is-reduced in thickness, as'indicated at 22,.so that'it will readily flex at this point, thereby permitting the legs 11, 12v to assume the desired angular positlon to insure a firm gripping contact of the notches 13, 14011 the rail base. The extremities of the shoe are means of a bar 23 extending transversely under the rail base. This bar is hinged adjacent one end to. the lower edge of the leg 11 of the shoe, and is provided at the other end with a hook portion 24 which projects over the opposite edge of the base flange of the rail when the anchor-is in its applied position. The hinged connection between the shoe 10 and transverse bar 23 may be of any suitable construction, though preferably consists of an upturned lip 25 on the leg 11 which extends through an elongated open ing 26 in the bar 23. When applying the device to a rail, the slots of the shoe 10 are fitted over one edge of the base flange of a rail with the tie abuttillrg foot 16 adjacent a cross-tie, as shown in 1g. 1. The hinged bar 23 is then raised fromits inoperative position, shown in Fig. 1, to a substantially horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2. The width of the bar is greater than the preferably spread apart by normal distance between the legs 11, 12 of the shoe, and when raised as above mentioned, assumes a, wedging position between the legs, so asto spread them apart ,to the angular position shown in Fig. 2. When raising the bar 23 to its normal wedging position the tapered lip 27 of the hook 24 being forced over the edge 28 of the rail base, will flex the hook portion to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, until the lip 27 clears, the upper edge of the base flange, whereupon the lip will snap over the upper edge of the flange and support the bar in an angular position slightly below its pivot center. The curved surface 29 of the tie abut ting foot and the tendency which the spring legs 11, 12 have .to return to the position from which they were sprung will prevent the bar 23 from swin 'ng to a position above its pivot center. ith this construction, pressure applied to the tie abutting foot 16, by reason ofa creeping movement of the rail, is transmitted through the bar 23 to the lower extremity of the leg 11 of the shoe, thereby increasing the grip of the edges 18, 19 of notch 13 on the upper and lower .surfaces of the rail. The hook end of the bar,

being in engagement with the opposite edge of the. rail base, prevents any lateral displacement of the shoe tendingto loosen its effective grip on the rail.

While have described my invention in one specific embodiment, it will be obvious that modifications in structure might be made without departing from the principles of my invention. I therefore do not wish to limit myself to the specific structure shown and described except as specifically limited in the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. A rail anchor comprising a rail base engaging member provided with recesses which fit over one edge of a rail base and formed with a tie-abutting portion; said member being adapted to be strained in its application to a rail to bring said recesses into flipping contact with the rail base.

2. rail anchor comprising a rail base engaging member provided with recesses "which fit over one edge'of a rail base and formed with a tie-abutting portion; said member being made of spring metal and adapted to be strained in its application to a rail to bring said recesses into gripping contact with the rail base.

3. A rail anchor comprising a rail base engaging member provided with portions formed with recesses which fit over one edge of a rail base, and formed'wi'th a tie-abutting portion; said member being adapted to be strained in its a plic'ati-on to a rail to spread said recesse portions apart and bring said recesses into gripping contact with the rail base.

4. A rail anchor comprising a rail base engaging member provided with recesses which fit over one edge of a rail base and formed with a tie-abutting portion; said member being adapted to be strained in its application to a rail to bring said recesses into .gripping contact with the upper and lower surfaces ofthe rail base.

5. A rail anchor comprising a rail base engaging member having vertically disposed legs provided with recesses which fit over one edge of a rail base, and formed with a legs provided with recesses which fit over one edge of a rail base at different points and formed with atie abutting portion; said legs being adapted to be strained in application of the device to the rail to effect a shackle grip of said recesses on the upper and lower surfaces of said rail.

7. A rail anchor COIIIPIlSlIlg a rail base engaging member having vertically disposed legs provided with recesses which fit over one edge of a rail base at different points and formed with a tie abutting portion; said legs being adapted to be spread apart to an angular'position in application of the device to a rail to effect a shackle grip of said recesses on the upper and lower surfaces of the rail base.

8. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal rail-gripping member having recesses to fit over one edge of a rail base and provided with a tie abutment, and a wedging member adapted when in its operative position to strain said rail gripping member to bring said recesses into gripping contact with the rail base.

9. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal rail-gripping member having recesses to fit over one edge of a rail base and provided with a tie abutment, and a wedging member provided with a jaw to engage the opposite edge of the rail base and adapted, when in its operative position, to strain said rail gripping member to bring said recesses into gripping contact with the rail base.

. 10. A rail anchor comprising a spring jaw member having vertically disposed legs provided with recesses to fit over one edge of a rail'base, and a wedge member having a. hinged relation with said spring jaw adapted to be moved to force said recesses into gripping contact with the rail base.

11. A rail anchor comprising a spring jaw member having vertically disposed legs provided-with recesses to fit over one edge of a rail base, and a hinged member adapted r vided with recesses. to

to be moved into a wedging position between to force said recesses into gripping said legs contact with the rail base.

12. A rail anchor comprising a spring jaw member having verticall disposed legs profit-over one edge of a rail base, anda hinged member adapted to be moved into wedgmg position between said legs to force said recesses into gripping contact with the rail,'and provided with a jaw adapted to engage the opposite edge of said'base to maintain said hinged member in its wedging position, e

13. A rail anchor comprising a spring jaw member having substantially vertically disosed legs formed with recesses adapted to t overone edge of a rail base, and a bar -;-extending transversely of the rail, hinged t9 said jaw "member, and provided with a jaw ada ted to fit over the opposite edge of sairf ra' base, said bar being adapted to be raised to tension said legs and to force said recesses into gripping contact. with the up per and lower surfaces of the rail base.

memberv having substantially vertically d1s plosed legs formed with recesses adapted to t overone edge of'a rail base, and a bar extending transversely of therail base adapted to be moved into wedging position between said legs to force them apart and bring *said' recesses intogripping contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the rail base; said bar being hinged adjacent one end to said'spring jaw'and formed atthe other end with a spring hook adapted to snap over the opposite edge of said base when the bar is moved to its wedging position,

15. A railanchor CQmPIISIHg a spring jaw member having substantially vertically disosed legs formed with recesses adapted to t over oneledgeof a rail base, one of said 14. A rail anchoncomprising a spring j aw legs provided witha tie-abutting foot, and a hinged member adapted to be wedged between said legs whereby said legs are strained-during the presence of a creeping pressure to increase on the rail.

16; A rail anchor comprising a springjaw member having substantially vertically disposed legs foi'med with recesses adapted to fit over one edge of a rail base, one ofrsaid legs providing a tie abuttingfoot, and a the grip of the device legs providing a tie abutting foot, and a' diinged member adapted to be wedged between said-legs below said recesses whereby 65 said legs are strainedduring the presence of a creeping pressure to increase the grip of the device on'the rail; said hinged member bein provided with a jaw adaptedto engage t e opposite edge of the rail base to lock said bar 1n its wedging position. a V 18-. A rail'anchor comprislng a substantially U-shaped spring jaw member having ness at one'point to increase its flexibility.

- rail gripping recesses, and reduced in thickand means for spreading the extremities ofsaid member to an angular position so as to eifect a gripping contact of said recesses on the rail; said spreading means being vdisposed in a position to impart pressure to one hinged member adapted to be wedged beof said extremities during a creeping movement of the rail to increase thedevice on the rail base.

grip of the LAURENCE J. BERKELEY. 

